What In Carnation? Local Cut Flowers Are Changing The Wedding Arrangement Game

Are you in search of flowers for your special day? Flower Company Cuts will make your wedding dreams come true!

Jacquelyn Nooney from Jacquelyn Nooney Landscaping sees flowers more than pretty decorations. She loves planting them, the magic of watching them grow, and the importance of caring for them after they’ve been cut. “There is something very essential and primal about farming and being in the field and around the beauty of flowers. It feeds your soul.” This love has inspired her newest endeavor, Flower Company Cuts, a local, organic, natural cut flower business. “It’s crucial to help people understand that where their flowers come from is as important as where their food comes from,” Jacquelyn states.

What’s wrong with imported flowers? Companies pour toxic chemicals on them and treat their workers with disregard. Additionally, the American cut flower industry was destroyed because of the low prices on imported flowers. Through educating and commitment to natural practices, Jacquelyn is doing her part in restoring the American cut flower industry. “We don’t use any pesticides, we use all organic fertilizer, we recycle material from my landscaping company. It’s worth paying more to support the local.” Jackie confirms that local flowers can be long lasting using a process called Post Harvest Handling. “The Post Harvest Handling makes an enormous difference. Our bouquets tend to last 7-10 days, and that’s all you can hope for for any cut flower. I don’t think it’s fair to ask a flower to live longer than a week cut,” she explains.

Jacquelyn and her team are very careful about the care of their flowers. “We cut them early in the morning in the field. They get brought onto the farm where they get conditioned. The hygiene of the flowers is extremely important; we strip the foliage and make sure that the vascular system – where it sucks up water – is clean and that the water [it is soaked in] is clean. Then we put sugar and an acid into the water for nutrients. We put the flowers in the cooler overnight. The next day, they’re ready to be made into bouquets.”

Flower Company Cuts also sells at the Tuscan Market in Portsmouth and at farmer’s markets in Kittery, Portsmouth and Exeter. You can find their flowers in stock at local shops like the Flower Kiosk and Jardiniere, too.

Emma KempEmma is a summer intern at Seacoast Weddings. She is studying writing at Smith College. In her free time, she enjoys playing frisbee on the beach, cafe hopping and reading a good book.